Components and Strategies for Personalized Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Review
Ignasia Yuyun, Didi Suherdi
Abstract
Disruptive technology has influenced education worldwide, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.Notably, the compelling rise and massive changes in the e-learning industry have shifted education due to technological advancement.Also, in Industrial Revolution 4.0 (digitalization), the virtual learning environment has mushroomed as everything goes digital through MOOCs, gamification, mobile learning, social learning, wearable learning, and personalized learning.This way, teachers can personalize instruction based on each student's skills and learning style.This article systematically and critically synthesizes empirical research from 40 studies published between 2011 and 2021 to depict the complex nexus of personalized learning in higher education.The studies' descriptive statistics reviewed included the research designs, participant characteristics, and settings.Then, the findings of the qualitative content analysis indicate the major themes.The inclusive criteria were grounded on (1) peerreviewed studies, (2) studies concerning personalized learning in higher education contexts, and (3) studies published within the last ten years.Google Scholar, one of the most popular web-based databases, was used to search for these articles.It links to other web-based databases, such as Proquest, ERIC, and the websites of journal publishers.In the corpus of forty studies, case studies in non-EFL departments were the most preferred study design for personalized learning research in higher education.Besides, this systematic review revealed four prevalent findings in defining personalized learning, underpinning theories, and identifying personalized learning components and strategies.This study shows how early studies were done and how they relate to future research and practice, especially the research gap.